I might suggest that the flaw lowers the higher Art and raises the lower Art by the difference between the two Art scores. If the difference bewteen the two Art scores is >= 10 then the higher Art is lowered by the total difference with NO corresponding raise to the lower Art score. That would force characters to maintain healthy scores in the respective Arts.
Personality flaws are usually major if they lead to stories, and minor if they simply affect the way you play... Thus: Minor versjon means you roleplay a careless person, while the major versjon means your carelessness will trigger stories...
(A general flaw of this sort would indicate be 1 or more added botch die).
Hmm - how about spliting it up abit; grant a new minor virtue:
Armed brawler (may use simple weapons, like a staff and club while brawling)
Social status Flaw: Outsider (major)
Story Flaw: Shaolin Monasitc Wows (may not kill, and whatever else you feel they should swear not to do) (major)
For a standard character: 5. (less if you've got a positive primary attribute for your profession/craft). Well, if you're willing to work extra you can probably get along with even less... If you're working a LOT (effectivly all the time), 3 should serve you fine...
I do note that the training program sounds a lot like a standard guild apprenticeship, which has 2 seasons work, 1 season training by a master and 1 season off-time. This tends to result in a skill of 5... (and no debt...)
I can easily be acused of "puritanism" here, but the momebnt I start seeing shaolin monks and buffalo soldier grogs atrmed with gatling guns, I consider the setting to be as good as the Sailor Moon or Battletech setting for the OoH.
If I want to play the legend of 5 rings, I play the legend of 5 rings. YMMV. To me, a shaoplin monk dioes not fit into My (TM) setting. Well, it does, but as a victim/exectutioner for the father of a mongol character (background info)
Xavi
Well, I was shocked too, but it's his campain, after all. If he wanna make it a remake of the "kung-fu" tv show, fine for him 
Ah, I am enlightened. 
I'll have to factor that in to some of the others then.....
Hmm, I wasn't planning to add monks to my scenario, just floating the idea so that someone might be able to use it. I know that it's pretty unlikely to meet one, definitely unlikely to have one important in a scenario. It was just a tribunal thing, everyone is comparing familiars, and this magus who has travelled has brought back this man with a curious fighting style. All the flambeau would be consumed with envy 
But this peg will not fit in this hole. Ah well. 
Hmm, I was trying to get a way for the trained person to be unable to pack their bags and leave town straight away. Having to stay around a few years to pay back your tutelage was an option. Another could be a contract - you agree to work for so long afterwards (like mentioned in the Companion XP thread)
This was a way to try to model the guild system, because the basic XP is hard to use for them. Unless you do a detailed build, 15XP per year is a little "average", most townspeople get it. Being specially tutored should be worth more.
[quote="Brutus ex VerditiusThis was a way to try to model the guild system, because the basic XP is hard to use for them. Unless you do a detailed build, 15XP per year is a little "average", most townspeople get it. Being specially tutored should be worth more.[/quote]
Finally got around to reading the section on the guild apprentice again; 7 years, with 1 season practice(4xp), 1 season exposure(2xp), 1 season training by a master (usually 9-10 xp) and 1 season off-time (4-7xp usually).
To me this sounds like the virtue Privileged Upbringing (being apprenticed is a privlege;)) - and that actually gives you slight more than the average apprentice...
Sorry not been online, but I have now moved house, and I have net access.
Ok. I've re-jigged some of the virtues/flaws based on comments here, and I have a few new ones as well. If people are happy with them, I'll put them on the wiki
FLAWS
Bumbler (minor, story)
If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. Most things you undertake will end in unexpected ways. Sometimes outright failue, but more often than not, it will take an unexpected turn - sometimes for the better. Perhaps your guardian angel is trying to influence your destiny, or you have annoyed a powerful fey. Whatever the reason, you are the butt of many jokes, and will always have a tale to tell.
Poor Communicator (minor, general)
In a specific area, such as speech or writing, you are unable to communicate properly - you gain a -3 penalty to all activities.
Easily Distracted (minor, personality)
Whenever you are undertaking any task you are easily persuaded to leave it. You need to succeed an opposed personality roll to remain focused. You have a -3 penalty to all concentration rolls involving multiple activites or overcoming interruption.
Owe resources (minor, story)
You have a debt to someone, for magi it is resources, for companions it is money. This is a large amount, and if you cannot pay it at once you need to make regular payments. If you leave the area, or stop paying you will be hunted down. Examples are 25 pawns of vis fine to a tribunal, 20 pounds of silver to a moneylender.
Dishonest (minor, personality)
Whenever the opportunity presents itself you will do a dishonest deed. You may rob people you meet, lie at every opportunity, or betray secrets. You don't have to be any good at the deeds, but you will attempt them.
Honest (minor, personality flaw)
You cannot lie or mislead someone. You expect everyone you meet to be the same. Experience may lead to to distrust certain people, but you will always trust first. If something causes you to break your word you will be overcome with guilt and attempt to make amends. This may mean paying extra, donations to the church, or acts of charity. You will also lose a confidence point.
Delicate humours (minor, general)
Your 4 humours are more delicate than most people. You receive a -5 to all rolls to resist ilness, and a -3 to wound recovery rolls.
Religious minority (minor, story)
You belong to one of the minor heretical religions. You are devout in your worship, and will attempt to convert anyone you meet. During the religious crackdowns (Cathar heresy etc.) You will be probably be targetted.
Searching for () (major, story)
You are travelling the lands searching for something which has been stolen from you. This could be a family heirloom, or a beloved snatched by the fey. You cannot settle down to lead a normal life until you have regained what was lost. You may occasionally be driven to despair by your daunting task, but you quickly resume the trail. Your journey will often lead you into danger, and could take most of your life.
Careless (minor/major, general/story)
You never quite take the time to make sure that things are as they should be. You leave important things lying around, doors unlocked and windows open. You are always mislaying things that you need. Whenever you have had a crisis of some type you become careful for a few weeks, but quickly fall back to your old ways.
Runaway (minor, story)
You ran away from home at a young age and was forced to make your way in the world. You often think of your brothers and sisters, languishing at home, and you are overcome with the desire to find them. However, you aren't quite sure where your family live.
Wanderlust (minor, personality)
You find it hard to live in one place for any length of time, you are always itching to be on the road. If you are forced to remain in the same place for more than a season you gain the personality trait irritable. Each passing month adds 1 experience point to it. When you set off on a journey again, each day of travel gives 1 exp towards reducing the trait.
Barren, minor, story
You are unable to naturally conceive a child. This could be the result of a curse, some supernatural entity, or a magical spell. Depending on the exact cause of the disability it may be cureable. Being around children/expecting women will depress you. You are "driven" to have children, perhaps adopting strays, or pursuing a cure. Only female characters may take this flaw.
Town dweller (minor, general)
You have been raised in a town and have never ventured outside its walls. If you have left the town, it was in a wagon or on a boat. At character creation you cannot take wilderness skills, and outside of towns you have no sense of direction.
Interfering arts (minor, hermetic)
Due to the way you were trained, two of your arts interfere with each other. They both have to be of the same type i.e both form or both technique, but when you use one, the other effects it. The dominant art (highest score) is lowered by half the weaker art (rounded down). E.g. Ignem & Aquam, Creo & Perdo. These modifications effect the art itself when it is used in the lab/casting/teaching, and so take place before other modifiers. The full total is used for studying & writing.
Strong body Rhythm (minor, general)
Your body is attuned to the cycle of the sun. During the day you have a +3 bonus to being awake. During the night you have a +3 bonus to falling asleep. These bonus' apply whether you wish them to or not.
Paranoid (minor, personality)
This virtue confers the personality trait Paranoid +3. You distrust everyone you meet, and roll against the trait on every attempt to befriend, help or influence you. You are deeply distrustful and are constantly planning on ways to save yourself when you are betrayed. Over many years you may learn to trust someone - but it takes a lot of effort.
Poor timekeeper (minor, general)
You have a poor sense of time, often getting lost in the pursuit of something. You will always turn up late, sometimes by days. If you are a magus you must roll a stress die for each season of lab-work (sg discression). This represents the number of days lost due to various circumstances. If you botch, you were distracted at a critical time and must roll on the experimental results chart.
Virtues
Generalist combat (minor, general)
You may use your brawl skill (-1 penalty) when using single-hand weapons / staff/spear.
Mistress (minor, social class)
You are the mistress of a fairly prosperous man. You can occasionally influence him in his area of expertise. You have a house in town and a small income as well as the "gifts" he lavishes upon you.
Mistress (major, story)
As with the social class, but your provider is a powerful and influential person. You may have a larger house and servants, income and more influence over him. However, the more care the man lavishes on you and the more influence you have over him, the more chance his in-laws will find out. You must take the Dark Secret (Mistress) flaw, and if discovered it may turn into Enemies (in-laws).
Arranged Marriage (minor, story)
Your future has been assured with a prosperous family. When your betrothed comes of age the ceremony will take place. For now, the family treat you as one of their own, giving you what assistance they can. You must visit them at least once per year. Depending on what your troupe decide you may have to settle down in one place after you wed. Certain actions could cause the marriage to be called off.
Night vision (minor, supernatural)
You can see perfectly in almost pitch black. As long as there is some type of light (candle, outdoors, open window etc.) you can see as normal. However, your eyes turn an unnatural colour in darkness. It takes your eyes a moment or two to adjust between states.
Bewitching beauty (major, supernatural)
You are more than beautiful, men will give up anything for you - wealth, power, it is all yours. All women are put in your shadow, and they know it. You gain a +3 to all presence rolls when dealing with men, -3 when dealing with women. This virtue also confers the ability Bewitching Beauty with a starting score of 1. Use this score to coerce men into doing things for you. This ability works against women - unless they are lesbian. (see entrancement, but victim bonus reduced by 3 (min 3) for men, increased by 3 for women)
Apprenticeship (minor/major, general/story)
You were raised for a specific profession, and a lot of expense was invested in your education. For upto 15 years after the age of 6 you undergo strict training and you gain an extra 10XP per year for use in abilities relevant to your trade. At the end of your training you have a good career ahead of you, perhaps even a workshop to start in. Depending on your profession you may incur a debt for each year of training. You must take the "Owe resources" flaw, though there will often be little hurry for the debt to be repaid.
Interchanging forms (major, Hermetic)
You may use a formulaic spell with a different form than it was originally designed for. Whwn casting the spell you use your new form score instead. The new spell will have the same Technique and properties as the original. As long as the base effect is the same. E.g. Arc of Fiery Ribbons becomes Arc of Iron Arrows, or Arc of Wooden Shafts. Torrent of Rushing Water becomes Torrent of Falling Flames.
Inward Focus (minor, Hermetic)
When casting spontaneous magic you enter a slight trance as you control you magic. You receive a -3 penalty to any knowledge of you surroundings, thus short of physical contact you will be undisturbed. When casting you always roll a stress die, if you choose to divide by 5 you roll 2 less botch die (min 0). If you choose to divide by 2 you gain a +3 bonus to your spell. If you are undisturbed you cannot botch, if you are disturbed you gain two extra botch die.
Cautious Experimenter (minor, hermetic)
When you experiment, roll a simple die. If you roll 6 or more you may add or remove 1 point from your roll on the discovery chart.
Touched by magic (minor, hermetic)
Once per day you may cast any spell upto 6th magnitude without words or gestures with no penalty. The range of the spell cannot be greater than voice.
Enhanced senses (minor, supernatural)
For one part of the day (day or night) your perception gains a +2 bonus.
Unknown bloodline (major, story)
You do not know it, but you are descended from a legendary family - and you are recognizable as one of them. You gain an extra 3 points to spend on attributes (this may take one from 2 to 3), you gain puissant Leadership and a puissant combat virtue of your choosing. You must also take a flaw appropriate to your background - Driven (Save people in need), Weakness (Lost causes). If your ancestrey is unearthed, and you have followed in their footsteps, you may receive the wealth & fame your heritage deserves - or a host of enemies could come to stop you claiming your birthright.
Hidden wealth (minor, story, general)
You have discovered a hidden cache of treasures. Will you move them to another location, or leave them where they are. Will you remove small amounts at a time to "assist" your livelihood, or will you use a large portion of it for big purchases. Decide with your troupe how "large" the treasure is, where it comes from, and if someone will turn up to claim it.
Conditional Immortality (major, supernatural)
Due to a powerful mystical effect, you do not age after the age of 30. You cannot be killed except by decapitation or by the condition, all injuries and wounds heal at dusk/dawn. You cannot die from hunger, but you will become weak, perhaps even too weak to move, falling into a slumber you will never awaken from. Examples of a condition are iron weapons, drowning, wooden stake, killed by aspecific type of person.
Highly organized (minor, general)
While you may not be more intelligent than your peers, you understand the subtlties involved in preparing for a project. You gain a bonus of 1 whenever you undertake a complex project such as writing a book, teaching, or managing a group of people. (i.e. +1 to the source quality, +1 to leadership). In addition, magi may represent this orderliness in their work. If they are working in a lab they have customized (0 penalty) they can either take an extra 3 off per season, or increase their lab-total by 2.
Magical Attunement (minor, hermetic)
You have an awareness of magical energies around you. When someone is casting magic nearby, you may notice their spell with roll of perception against the magnitude of the effect. When undergoing lab activities your awareness allows you to 'spot' unexpected events. If you make a perception roll against an ease factor of 6 you spot the impending disaster and can take action. You can reduce the number of botch die by 2, (minimum 0), you can attempt to mitigate the damage with magic, activate lab safety devices or you may attempt to flee with some handy valuables.
Impervious to the Divine (minor, hermetic)
You are less effected by the divine than normal magi. You suffer half the normal penalties when using magics in a divine aura.
Impervious to the faerie power (minor, hermetic)
When entering fey areas it is almost impossible to become disoriented/get lost or become befuddled. In addition your magic resistance is increased by a half. If you are covered by someone else's magic resistance it is effected normally.
Impervious to the infernal power (minor, hermetic)
When entering infernal areas you gain a faint taste of brimstone. In addition your magic resistance is increased by a half. If you are covered by someone else's magic resistance it is effected normally.
The last 3 are just the opposites of the "Susceptible to ..." flaws, they weren't much effort. Comments on the rest are welcome.
Feel free to use any in your saga.
Altering experimental results post-rolling is a touchy thing. By choosing to accept results of No extraordinary effects, No benefit, or Discovery and using a Risk of +1 or +2 with the ability to modify results +/-1, its possible to completely avoid Side effects, Complete failure, Special events or Modified effects.
In more concrete terms, that's a Minor Virtue that basically decreases the chance of negative effects by half, at Risk +2 from 41% to 21%, while increasing the chance of generally positive effects from 20% to 27%.
Agreed, tho', showing a complete disregard for diplomacy, I'd change the word "touchy" to "abusive".
That undermines the premise of experimenting, which is risk and randomness.
Something not so unbalancing for a "cautious" experimenter should, I'd think, be to abort an experiment and reduce/avoid truly disastrous results, like explosions or the loss of previous work or existing items.
Being able to pick and choose between results isn't cautious, it's godlike.
As for the rest, some very good ones. I like the "Impervious to X Power" series.
I too like the Impervious to X series. With regard to the Divine variant, would that "...half the normal penalties" be rounded up or down (since not all divine auras impose even numbered penalties)?
[quote="Brutus ex Verditius"]
FLAWS
Bumbler
Murphy. Classic.
Poor Communicator (minor, general)
Easily Distracted (minor, personality)
Owe resources (minor, story)
Dishonest (minor, personality)
Honest (minor, personality flaw)
Delicate humours (minor, general)
Religious minority (minor, story)
Yep. Work for me.
Searching for () (major, story)
No reason this couldn't be major or minor, depending on the intensity, similar to some Personality flaws.
Careless (minor/major, general/story)
Runaway (minor, story)
"However, you aren't quite sure where your family live."
Why? Make it an option.
Wanderlust (minor, personality)
I'd think it would be an exceptional saga that would allow such a character. But nothing wrong with it on face value.
Barren, minor, story
In my experience, Player Characters rarely have a drive to have children. (Hell, most don't have families!) Not sure if this isn't a "gift" to such Players.
Town dweller (minor, general)
If this is patterned off of "faerie upbringing" or "covenant upbringing", it should be a little broader and less absolute. There is already a "no direction sense" flaw. Maybe something more abstract, about what they understand and don't.
Interfering arts (minor, hermetic)
Not big enough to be a Major flaw, but far more painful than most minor ones.
Strong body Rhythm (minor, general)
(Q- When would these bonuses/penalties matter?)
Paranoid (minor, personality)
Poor timekeeper (minor, general)
yep.
Virtues
Generalist combat (minor, general)
Hmmm... nope. I'd veto this. Too powerful, lumping several combat skills into one. No precedence for anything like it.
Mistress (minor, social class)
Ugh. As a social class, far too unpredictable. What happens when he tires of her? (And this could be either sex, btw, with men or women as their "patrons"). What happens when they get too old? What of the negative social stigma attached in many cultures? Nope, would need to be interpreted case by case.
Mistress (major, story)
Meh... maybe. Dark Secret, Enemies... complicated.
Arranged Marriage (minor, story)
Like it!
Night vision (minor, supernatural)
"Faerie Eyes", isolated from Strong Faerie Blood. Fair enough.
Bewitching beauty (major, supernatural)
You're on to something, but I don't like it as presented. It seems to be everything that Enchantment is, with Blessing of Venus, AND more, without the need to talk.
Apprenticeship (minor/major, general/story)
150 extra xp???!!! "Wealthy" only gives +45 during the same time period. No way, unbalanced.
Interchanging forms (major, Hermetic)
Any two?! No way. Too open for abuse, way too powerful. Too undefined about what is "similar spell effect" - animal and corpus are easy enough, but terram and imagonem? Maybe choose two, that could work, and would be powerful enough at that.
Inward Focus (minor, Hermetic)
So... you gain +3, but if disturbed can botch even non-fatiguing spont spells? Hmmm... I guess... (Rarely would a non-fatiguing spont spell be "disturbed", but the bonus is reasonable either way.)
Cautious Experimenter (minor, hermetic)
He-ELL no. (See comments, prev. post).
Touched by magic (minor, hermetic)
He-ELL no. The equiv of 2 Quiet plus Subtle, for up to Level 30? Major.
Enhanced senses (minor, supernatural)
Unknown bloodline (major, story)
Maybe, but too specific. Leadership, etc? Who says this particular bloodline is one of leadership, as opposed to healing, or art? Reword to be more open-ended, then sure.
Hidden wealth (minor, story, general)
Much larger than similar virtues. No.
Conditional Immortality (major, supernatural)
sure.
Highly organized (minor, general)
+1 to everything a mage does? No way.
Magical Attunement (minor, hermetic)
Too convenient and wide ranging. Magical Sense is also "minor", and this is much, much bigger. Nope.
Impervious to the Divine (minor, hermetic)
Impervious to the faerie power (minor, hermetic)
Impervious to the infernal power (minor, hermetic)
Like these.
There ya go.
Exactly. And maybe it's still a little too powerfull. Lvl 20 or 25 might be better. Otherwise, it's very fun, I love it
May I suggest that many of these could be copied to the wiki
arsmagica.pbwiki.com/Virtues
It'd be appreciated (at least by me).
Well, if you take the flaw, you are begging for it to be made a plot point in the campaign! It's a story flaw, after all.
Plenty of story seeds to be grabbed wholesale from history books. I like it.
Once I get these v/f to a position where most people are happy with them, I'll be posting them to the wiki.
I'll think about these comments during work tomorrow - nothing else to do there. Have some revisions when I get back from work tomorrow.
Generalist Combat is frickin amazing--arguably too good.
I will also say, though, that the way the game handles combat skills currently doesn't make sense. In reality, people can fight or they can't--someone who can fight can take any weapon and make much better use of it than someone with no training, even if he hasn't picked it up before. Western combat has a large focus on grappling, even (or especially) when we're talking about training in the use of large swords (longsword seems to mean something different in this game than historically).
I guess my point is that this virtue fundamentally changes the way combat skills are handled by the game. It essentially makes all three combat skills into one skill. I think that makes sense, and at the same time I know it may skew the rules some. I'd use with care. I'd also change the description to allow a person to favor another style and default to the other two (for example: it would arguably be more Western for knights to put primacy on a sword skill and default to grappling with some small penalty).
Or, in the spirit of Wiki, simply include a "Critique" (is that the phrase they use?) of the information, acknowledging that opinions differ on its value, or presenting alternatives.
Making "most people happy" can be a death march. 
OK, here are the most recent versions after taking on board some comments. The other v/f stand as they are.
Searching for () (minor/major, story)
You are travelling the lands searching for something which has been stolen from you. This could be a family heirloom, or a beloved snatched by the fey. You cannot settle down to lead a normal life until you have regained what was lost. You may occasionally be driven to despair by your daunting task, but you quickly resume the trail. Your journey will often lead you into danger, and could take most of your life.
Runaway (minor, story)
You ran away from home at a young age and was forced to make your way in the world. You often think of your brothers and sisters, languishing at home, and you are overcome with the desire to find them. Perhaps you aren't quite sure where your family live, or have sworn an oath of service. Returning home will be difficult, but that shouldn’t stop you.
Strong body Rhythm (minor, general)
Your body is attuned to the cycle of the sun. During the day you have a +3 bonus to being awake. During the night you have a +3 bonus to falling asleep. These bonus' apply whether you wish them to or not. E.g. At night it is very hard for this person to stay awake, even by using magic. However, it is hard to use magic to put them to sleep during the day.
VIRTUES
Combat Improvisationalist (minor, general)
You may use your brawl skill (at a -1 penalty) when using improvised weapons (chair, table, beer mug etc) if you don't have an applicable weapon skill.
Bewitching beauty (major, supernatural)
You are more than beautiful, men will give up anything for you - wealth, power, it is all yours. All women are put in your shadow, and they know it. You gain a +3 to all presence rolls when dealing with men, -3 when dealing with women. This virtue also confers the ability Bewitching Beauty with a starting score of 1. Use this score to coerce men into doing things for you - see entrancement, but victim bonus reduced by 3 (min 3). You cannot bewitch a woman into doing anything for you - unless they are naturally attracted to women.
Apprenticeship (minor/major, general/story)
You were raised for a specific profession, and a lot of expense was invested in your education. For upto 5 years (minor) or 15 years (major) after the age of 6 you undergo strict training and you gain an extra 10XP per year for use in abilities relevant to your trade. At the end of your training you have a good career ahead of you, perhaps even a workshop to start in. Depending on your chosen profession you may have had to agree to a contract beforehand promising to repay your tuition expenses, or to remain in the area for a length of time.
Interchanging forms
REMOVED
Cautious Experimenter (minor, hermetic)
Labs explode, it is a fact of life. However, you have the knack of spotting the early signs, so you can mitigate the damage. If you make a perception + stress die roll against an ease factor of 6 you spot the impending disaster and can take action. You can undertake emergency action to reduce the number of botch die by 2, (minimum 0), you can attempt to activate lab safety devices or you may attempt to flee with some handy valuables.
Touched by magic (major, hermetic)
Once per day you may cast any spell upto 5th magnitude without the penalty for no words and no gestures. The range of the spell cannot be greater than voice.
Unknown bloodline (major, story)
You do not know it, but you are descended from a legendary family - and you are recognizable as one of them. You gain an extra 3 points to spend on attributes (this may take one from 2 to 3), you gain one free puissant ability (e.g. Leadership) and a puissant combat/craft/profession virtue of your choosing. You must also take a flaw appropriate to your background - Driven (Save people in need), Weakness (Lost causes), compulsion (take charge). If your ancestrey is unearthed, and you have followed in their footsteps, you may receive the wealth & fame your heritage deserves - or a host of enemies could come to stop you claiming your birthright.
Highly organized
See thread to turn into an ability
Magical Attunement (minor, hermetic)
This virtue confersthe ability Magical Attunement +1. This gives you an awareness of magical energies around you. When someone is casting magic nearby, you may notice their spell with roll of perception + Magical Attunement against the magnitude of the effect + (no gestures +1, no words +2mag).
Here's some more:
Virtue
Gift of Mercury (Major, General)
You enjoy traveling to new places and meeting new people. You are good at learning new languages, places and customs. (Affinity spoken languages, Affinity Area Lores)
Speaking to the nature spirits (Major, supernatural)
By meditating near a plant, stone, fire or stream you may "converse" with the spirit it contains. It takes 15 minutes of meditation to be able to converse with it, and you are unaware of your surroundings.
Animal master (major, supernatural)
You can befriend almost any animal you meet, and over time you will be able to communicate. Each season you spend together the animal gains 5 points in the ability "Trained". For any task you wish the animal to accomplish it must make a Cunning + trained roll against an appropriate ease factor depending on the complexity of the task.
Some animals you may be able to command to do simple tasks within a day of meeting them.
Flaws
Inhuman appearance (Major, Supernatural)
Part of your body is animal like. It may be your eyes, nose, ears or hands. You may have any number of body parts being animal, but they are sets. You cannot have one eye as a hawk and one as a cats. Your parts need not all be from the same animal depending on your background they may be from several. Perhaps you were born of mixed parents, you were cursed, or it was a magic experiment gone wrong. Whatever the reason, you will be feared, shunned and hunted down in most places you visit. Though there is a bonus of your strange body. You gain the abilities of your strange body. E,g. Cats Eyes help you see in the dark, dogs nose helps you track scents, bat's ears enhance your hearing.
Gift of Mercury-
While "packaging" affinities makes me queezy, these actually make some sense. The precedent worries me tho', opening the door for annoying players to try to abuse the possibilities.
I'd also limit it to "Living Languages", not, say, academic, dead ones.
A variation I could live with...
Lore Master
Similar "package" for affinities for all 4 Lores (Magic, Faerie, Infernal & Domain), and Area Lores of your choice. (Organization Lores are more dynamic than more "encyclopedic" ones, as personalities and variables constantly shift.)
Something that might worry me...
Mind for the Arcane
Affinity with Finesse, Magic Theory, Parma and Penetration.
Something that I'd find annoying...
Magical Mind
Affinity with all Domain Lores, Finesse, Magic Theory, Parma and Penetration, and Latin.
(But that's just me. If it's not a "central" skill, I'm cool with it, but once the door is open, it's harder to make a rule that balances all applications. Another SG headache waiting to happen.)
So, my character can get Lion Claws, and it's a Major Flaw? SOLD!
Um, on second thought... no way, Jose.
5th ed tends to shy away from such "combo deals", where a flaw and an obvious virtue are combined. To disregard the advantages of the virtue, and given the potentially minor drawbacks of the flaw (wear a hat?), I'd veto this. Or, make the first half "unable to disguise", and lose the second half. Purely cosmetic, or a tiny bonus at best.